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{{Short description|French actor (1926–1995)}}
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{{refimprove|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox person/Wikidata |fetchwikidata=ALL |onlysourced=yes|suppressfields=notable_works}}
'''Charles Denner''' (29 May 1926 &ndash; 10 September 1995) was a French actor born to a Jewish family in [[Tarnów]], Poland. During his 30-year career he worked with some of France's greatest [[film director|directors]] of the time, including [[Louis Malle]], [[Claude Chabrol]], [[Jean-Luc Godard]], [[Costa-Gavras]], [[Claude Lelouch]] and [[François Truffaut]] who gave him two of his most memorable roles, as Fergus in ''[[The Bride Wore Black]]'' (1968) and Bertrand Morane in ''[[The Man Who Loved Women (1977 film)|The Man Who Loved Women]]'' (1977).<ref>{{cite news | first=Alan | last=Riding | title=Charles Denner, 69, French Star Of Truffaut and Lelouch Films | url=http://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/12/obituaries/charles-denner-69-french-star-of-truffaut-and-lelouch-films.html | work=The New York Times | date=1995-09-12 | accessdate=2013-07-15}}</ref>
'''Charles Denner''' (29 May 1926 &ndash; 10 September 1995) was a French actor born to a Jewish family in [[Tarnów]], Poland. During his 30-year career he worked with some of France's greatest [[film director|directors]] of the time, including [[Louis Malle]], [[Claude Chabrol]], [[Jean-Luc Godard]], [[Costa-Gavras]], [[Claude Lelouch]] and [[François Truffaut]], who gave him two of his most memorable roles, as Fergus in ''[[The Bride Wore Black]]'' (1968) and as Bertrand Morane in ''[[The Man Who Loved Women (1977 film)|The Man Who Loved Women]]'' (1977).<ref>{{cite news | first=Alan | last=Riding | title=Charles Denner, 69, French Star Of Truffaut and Lelouch Films | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/12/obituaries/charles-denner-69-french-star-of-truffaut-and-lelouch-films.html | work=The New York Times | date=1995-09-12 | accessdate=2013-07-15}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Charles Denner was born in 1926 to a Jewish family in the city of [[Tarnów]] in south-eastern [[Poland]]. When he was four, they emigrated to France.
Denner was born in 1926 in the city of [[Tarnów]] in south-eastern Poland, before emigrating with his family to France at the age of four. During [[World War II]], his family took refuge in [[Brive-la-Gaillarde]], where they were helped by Rabbi [[David Feuerwerker]]. During World War II Charles Denner was a Free French partisan in the Vercors mountains and destroyed a nazi SS truck with a grenade; he was wounded and later received the [[Croix de Guerre]] for this operation. Passionate about theatre from his childhood, Denner became a student of [[Charles Dullin]], a famous theatre teacher of his time, under whose guidance he remained until 1945. Another great personality of French theatre, [[Jean Vilar]], impressed by Denner's performance at ''[[Les mamelles de Tirésias]]'' (''The Breasts of Tiresias'') called him four years after he left Vilar to join the [[Théâtre National Populaire]] (TNP). It was there that he gave some of his earliest stage performances in plays such as [[Heinrich von Kleist|Heinrich von Kleist's]] ''[[The Prince of Homburg (play)|Prinz Friedrich von Homburg]]'' and [[Alfred de Musset|Alfred de Musset's]] ''[[Lorenzaccio]]'', among others.

During [[World War II]], his family took refuge in [[Brive-la-Gaillarde]], where they were helped by Rabbi [[David Feuerwerker]]. Denner served as a [[Free France|Free French]] partisan in the Vercors mountains and destroyed a [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] truck with a [[grenade]]; he was wounded and later received the [[Croix de Guerre]] for this operation.

Passionate about theatre from his childhood, Denner became a student of [[Charles Dullin]], a famous theatre teacher of his time, under whose guidance he remained until 1945. Another great figure of French theatre, [[Jean Vilar]], impressed by Denner's performance at ''[[Les mamelles de Tirésias]]'' (''The Breasts of Tiresias''), called him four years after he left Vilar to join the [[Théâtre National Populaire]] (TNP). It was there that he gave some of his earliest stage performances, in plays such as [[Heinrich von Kleist|Heinrich von Kleist's]] ''[[The Prince of Homburg (play)|Prinz Friedrich von Homburg]]'' and [[Alfred de Musset|Alfred de Musset's]] ''[[Lorenzaccio]]'', among others.


==Career==
==Career==
In 1955, director [[Yves Allégret]] offered Denner a small role in ''La Meilleure part'' (''The Best Part''), thus introducing him for the first time to cinema audiences. Two years later, in 1957, he secured another secondary role in [[Louis Malle|Louis Malle's]] legendary ''[[Elevator to the Gallows]]'', next to [[Jeanne Moreau]], a co-performer of his from the days of the TNP; however, it was not until 1963 that Denner was offered his first leading role by [[Claude Chabrol]] in ''[[Landru (film)|Landru]]'', a film considered by many as his greatest on-screen performance. Despite his growing recognition on the big screen, the stage remained his true passion and the place where he gave his most memorable performances in plays like [[Molière|Molière's]] ''[[Les Fourberies de Scapin]]'' (Scapin's Schemings) and [[Bertolt Brecht|Brecht's]] ''[[Drums in the Night]]''.
In 1955, director [[Yves Allégret]] offered Denner a small role in ''La Meilleure part'' (''The Best Part''), thus introducing him for the first time to cinema audiences. Two years later, in 1957, he secured another secondary role in [[Louis Malle|Louis Malle's]] legendary ''[[Elevator to the Gallows]]'', alongside [[Jeanne Moreau]], a co-performer of his from the days of the TNP.
In 1963 Denner was offered his first leading role by [[Claude Chabrol]] in ''[[Landru (film)|Landru]]'', a film considered by many as his greatest on-screen performance. Despite his growing recognition on the big screen, the stage remained his true passion. He gave his most memorable performances in plays such as [[Molière|Molière's]] ''[[Les Fourberies de Scapin]]'' (Scapin's Schemings) and [[Bertolt Brecht|Brecht's]] ''[[Drums in the Night]]''.


==Death==
==Death==


On 10 September 1995 Denner died of cancer in [[Dreux]], France.
On 10 September 1995 Denner died of pneumonia in [[Dreux]], France.


==Filmography==
==Selected filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Title
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Title
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Director
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Director
! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes
|-
|-
|[[French films of 1954|1954]]
|[[French films of 1954|1954]]
|''[[Poisson d'avril (film)|Poisson d'avril]]''
|''[[April Fools' Day (1954 film)|Poisson d'avril]]''
|a guest in a café (uncredited)
|a guest in a café
|[[Gilles Grangier]]
|[[Gilles Grangier]]
|Uncredited
|-
|-
|[[French films of 1957|1957]]
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1954|1954]]
|''[[Men in White (1955 film)|Men in White]]''
|Un interne
|[[Ralph Habib]]
|
|-
|''La Meilleure Part''
|Un ingénieur adjoint
|[[Yves Allégret]]
|
|-
|[[French films of 1958|1958]]
|''[[Elevator to the Gallows]]''
|''[[Elevator to the Gallows]]''
|L'adjoint du commissaire Cherrier
|an inspector
|[[Louis Malle]]
|[[Louis Malle]]
|
|-
|-
|[[French films of 1962|1962]]
|[[French films of 1963|1963]]
|''[[Landru (film)|Bluebeard]]''
|''[[Landru (film)|Bluebeard]]''
|''[[Henri Désiré Landru]]''
|[[Henri Désiré Landru]]
|[[Claude Chabrol]]
|[[Claude Chabrol]]
|
|-
|-
|[[French films of 1964|1964]]
|rowspan=4|[[French films of 1964|1964]]
|''La Vie à l'envers''
|''[[Les plus belles escroqueries du monde]]'' (episode "Le Grand escroc")
|Jacques Valin
|the swindler
|[[Alain Jessua]]
|
|-
|''[[Les plus belles escroqueries du monde]]''
|the swindler
|Claude Chabrol
|Claude Chabrol
|(segment "Le Grand Escroq") (scenes deleted)
|-
|''Les Pieds nickelés''
|Filochard
|Jean-Claude Chambon
|
|-
|''[[Mata Hari, Agent H21]]''
|Soldier #1
|[[Jean-Louis Richard]]
|Uncredited
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1965|1965]]
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1965|1965]]
|''[[Marie-Chantal contre le docteur Kha]]''
|''[[Marie-Chantal contre le docteur Kha]]''
|''Johnson''
|Johnson
|Claude Chabrol
|Claude Chabrol
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Sleeping Car Murders]]''
|''[[The Sleeping Car Murders]]''
|Bob Vaski - l'amant de Georgette
|''Bob''
|[[Costa-Gavras]]
|[[Costa-Gavras]]
|
|-
|-
|1966
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1966|1966]]
|''[[The Two of Us (1967 film)|The Two of Us]]''
|''[[YUL 871]]''
|L'ingénieur européen
|Claude's father
|[[Claude Berri]]
|[[Jacques Godbout]]
|
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1967|1967]]
|''[[The Thief of Paris]]''
|''[[The Thief of Paris]]''
|''Cannonier''
|Jean-François Cannonier
|Louis Malle
|Louis Malle
|
|-
|''[[The Two of Us (1967 film)|The Two of Us]]''
|Monsieur Langmann
|[[Claude Berri]]
|
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1968|1968]]
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1968|1968]]
|''[[The Bride Wore Black]]''
|''[[The Bride Wore Black]]''
|''Fergus''
|Fergus
|[[François Truffaut]]
|[[François Truffaut]]
|
|-
|-
|''La trêve''
|Julien
|Claude Guillemot
|
|-
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1969|1969]]
|''[[Z (1969 film)|Z]]''
|''[[Z (1969 film)|Z]]''
|''Manuel''
|[[Manolis Glezos|Manuel]]
|Costa-Gavras
|Costa-Gavras
|
|-
|''Le corps de Diane''
|Julien Keller
|Jean-Louis Richard
|
|-
|-
|[[French films of 1970|1970]]
|[[French films of 1970|1970]]
|''[[Le Voyou]]''
|''[[Le Voyou]]''
|''Gallois''
|Monsieur Gallois
|[[Claude Lelouch]]
|[[Claude Lelouch]]
|
|-
|-
|[[French films of 1971|1971]]
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1971|1971]]
|''[[The Married Couple of the Year Two]]''
|''[[The Married Couple of the Year Two]]''
|the traveller
|the traveller
|[[Jean-Paul Rappeneau]]
|[[Jean-Paul Rappeneau]]
|
|-
|''[[Law Breakers]]''
|Graziani
|[[Marcel Carné]]
|
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1972|1972]]
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1972|1972]]
|''[[L'aventure, c'est l'aventure]]''
|''[[L'aventure, c'est l'aventure]]''
|''Simon Duroc''
|Simon Duroc
|Claude Lelouch
|Claude Lelouch
|
|-
|-
|''[[Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me]]''
|''[[Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me]]''
|''Arthur''
|Arthur
|François Truffaut
|François Truffaut
|
|-
|-
|[[French films of 1973|1973]]
|rowspan=3|[[French films of 1973|1973]]
|''[[The Inheritor]]''
|''[[The Inheritor]]''
|''David Loweinstein''
|David Loweinstein
|[[Philippe Labro]]
|[[Philippe Labro]]
|
|-
|''Un officier de police sans importance''
|Serge Monnier
|Jean Larriaga
|
|-
|''Défense de savoir''
|Jean Ravier
|Nadine Trintignant
|
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1974|1974]]
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1974|1974]]
|''[[The Holes]]''
|''[[The Holes]]''
|Ministre des travaux publics
|the minister
|[[Pierre Tchernia]]
|[[Pierre Tchernia]]
|
|-
|-
|''[[And Now My Love]]''
|''[[And Now My Love]]''
|''David Goldman''
|David Goldman
|Claude Lelouch
|Claude Lelouch
|
|-
|-
|[[French films of 1975|1975]]
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1975|1975]]
|''[[Peur sur la ville]]''
|''[[Peur sur la ville]]''
|''Inspector Moissac''
|Inspector Moissac
|[[Henri Verneuil]]
|[[Henri Verneuil]]
|
|-
|-
|''Vous ne l'emporterez pas au paradis''
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1976|1976]]
|Nicolas
|François Dupont-Midi
|
|-
|rowspan=3|[[French films of 1976|1976]]
|''[[If I Had to Do It All Over Again]]''
|''[[If I Had to Do It All Over Again]]''
|the lawyer
|the lawyer
|Claude Lelouch
|Claude Lelouch
|
|-
|-
|''[[Mado (film)|Mado]]''
|''[[Mado (film)|Mado]]''
|''Reynald Manecca''
|Reynald Manecca
|[[Claude Sautet]]
|[[Claude Sautet]]
|
|-
|''La Première Fois''
|Father
|Claude Berri
|
|-
|-
|[[French films of 1977|1977]]
|[[French films of 1977|1977]]
|''[[The Man Who Loved Women (1977 film)|The Man Who Loved Women]]''
|''[[The Man Who Loved Women (1977 film)|The Man Who Loved Women]]''
|''Bertrand Morane''
|Bertrand Morane
|François Truffaut
|François Truffaut
|
|-
|-
|[[French films of 1978|1978]]
|[[French films of 1978|1978]]
|''[[Robert et Robert]]''
|''[[Robert et Robert]]''
|''Robert Goldman''
|Robert Goldman
|Claude Lelouch
|Claude Lelouch
|
|-
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1980|1980]]
|''La verdad sobre el caso Savolta''
|Lepprince
|Antonio Drove
|
|-
|''Le coeur à l'envers''
|Guillaume
|Franck Apprederis
|
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1982|1982]]
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1982|1982]]
|''{{Interlanguage link multi|Mille milliards de dollars|fr}}''
|''{{Interlanguage link multi|Mille milliards de dollars|fr}}''
|Walte
|''Walter''
|[[Henri Verneuil]]
|[[Henri Verneuil]]
|
|-
|-
|''[[A Captain's Honor]]''
|''[[A Captain's Honor]]''
|''Gillard''
|Maître Gillard - un avocat
|[[Pierre Schoendoerffer]]
|[[Pierre Schoendoerffer]]
|
|-
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1983|1983]]
|''Rock 'n Torah''
|Joseph, le père d'Isaac
|Marc-André Grynbaum
|
|-
|''Stella''
|Richard
|Laurent Heynemann
|
|-
|rowspan=2|[[French films of 1986|1986]]
|''L'unique''
|Vox, le producteur
|Jérôme Diamant-Berger
|
|-
|''Golden Eighties''
|M. Schwartz
|Chantal Akerman
|(final film role)
|}
|}


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==External links==
==External links==
*{{iMDb name|219342}}
*{{iMDb name|219342}}
*[https://johndenner.com/charles-denner-2/ Charles Denner - All Things Denner ]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
Line 144: Line 279:
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:French Jews]]
[[Category:20th-century Polish Jews]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in France]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in France]]
[[Category:20th-century French male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century French male actors]]
[[Category:French male stage actors]]
[[Category:French male stage actors]]
[[Category:French male film actors]]
[[Category:French male film actors]]
[[Category:People from Tarnów]]
[[Category:People from Tarnów]]
[[Category:Actors from Lesser Poland Voivodeship]]
[[Category:People from Eure-et-Loir]]
[[Category:Actors from Centre-Val de Loire]]
[[Category:Polish emigrants to France]]
[[Category:Polish emigrants to France]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Croix de guerre 1939–1945 (France)]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of France]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)]]

Revision as of 20:22, 9 June 2024

Charles Denner
Marie-Pierre de Gérando et Charles Denner
Born29 May 1926 Edit this on Wikidata
Tarnów Edit this on Wikidata
Died10 September 1995 Edit this on Wikidata (aged 69)
Dreux Edit this on Wikidata
OccupationFilm actor Edit this on Wikidata

Charles Denner (29 May 1926 – 10 September 1995) was a French actor born to a Jewish family in Tarnów, Poland. During his 30-year career he worked with some of France's greatest directors of the time, including Louis Malle, Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard, Costa-Gavras, Claude Lelouch and François Truffaut, who gave him two of his most memorable roles, as Fergus in The Bride Wore Black (1968) and as Bertrand Morane in The Man Who Loved Women (1977).[1]

Early life

Charles Denner was born in 1926 to a Jewish family in the city of Tarnów in south-eastern Poland. When he was four, they emigrated to France.

During World War II, his family took refuge in Brive-la-Gaillarde, where they were helped by Rabbi David Feuerwerker. Denner served as a Free French partisan in the Vercors mountains and destroyed a Nazi SS truck with a grenade; he was wounded and later received the Croix de Guerre for this operation.

Passionate about theatre from his childhood, Denner became a student of Charles Dullin, a famous theatre teacher of his time, under whose guidance he remained until 1945. Another great figure of French theatre, Jean Vilar, impressed by Denner's performance at Les mamelles de Tirésias (The Breasts of Tiresias), called him four years after he left Vilar to join the Théâtre National Populaire (TNP). It was there that he gave some of his earliest stage performances, in plays such as Heinrich von Kleist's Prinz Friedrich von Homburg and Alfred de Musset's Lorenzaccio, among others.

Career

In 1955, director Yves Allégret offered Denner a small role in La Meilleure part (The Best Part), thus introducing him for the first time to cinema audiences. Two years later, in 1957, he secured another secondary role in Louis Malle's legendary Elevator to the Gallows, alongside Jeanne Moreau, a co-performer of his from the days of the TNP.

In 1963 Denner was offered his first leading role by Claude Chabrol in Landru, a film considered by many as his greatest on-screen performance. Despite his growing recognition on the big screen, the stage remained his true passion. He gave his most memorable performances in plays such as Molière's Les Fourberies de Scapin (Scapin's Schemings) and Brecht's Drums in the Night.

Death

On 10 September 1995 Denner died of pneumonia in Dreux, France.

Filmography

Year Title Role Director Notes
1954 Poisson d'avril a guest in a café Gilles Grangier Uncredited
1954 Men in White Un interne Ralph Habib
La Meilleure Part Un ingénieur adjoint Yves Allégret
1958 Elevator to the Gallows L'adjoint du commissaire Cherrier Louis Malle
1963 Bluebeard Henri Désiré Landru Claude Chabrol
1964 La Vie à l'envers Jacques Valin Alain Jessua
Les plus belles escroqueries du monde the swindler Claude Chabrol (segment "Le Grand Escroq") (scenes deleted)
Les Pieds nickelés Filochard Jean-Claude Chambon
Mata Hari, Agent H21 Soldier #1 Jean-Louis Richard Uncredited
1965 Marie-Chantal contre le docteur Kha Johnson Claude Chabrol
The Sleeping Car Murders Bob Vaski - l'amant de Georgette Costa-Gavras
1966 YUL 871 L'ingénieur européen Jacques Godbout
1967 The Thief of Paris Jean-François Cannonier Louis Malle
The Two of Us Monsieur Langmann Claude Berri
1968 The Bride Wore Black Fergus François Truffaut
La trêve Julien Claude Guillemot
1969 Z Manuel Costa-Gavras
Le corps de Diane Julien Keller Jean-Louis Richard
1970 Le Voyou Monsieur Gallois Claude Lelouch
1971 The Married Couple of the Year Two the traveller Jean-Paul Rappeneau
Law Breakers Graziani Marcel Carné
1972 L'aventure, c'est l'aventure Simon Duroc Claude Lelouch
Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me Arthur François Truffaut
1973 The Inheritor David Loweinstein Philippe Labro
Un officier de police sans importance Serge Monnier Jean Larriaga
Défense de savoir Jean Ravier Nadine Trintignant
1974 The Holes Ministre des travaux publics Pierre Tchernia
And Now My Love David Goldman Claude Lelouch
1975 Peur sur la ville Inspector Moissac Henri Verneuil
Vous ne l'emporterez pas au paradis Nicolas François Dupont-Midi
1976 If I Had to Do It All Over Again the lawyer Claude Lelouch
Mado Reynald Manecca Claude Sautet
La Première Fois Father Claude Berri
1977 The Man Who Loved Women Bertrand Morane François Truffaut
1978 Robert et Robert Robert Goldman Claude Lelouch
1980 La verdad sobre el caso Savolta Lepprince Antonio Drove
Le coeur à l'envers Guillaume Franck Apprederis
1982 Mille milliards de dollars [fr] Walte Henri Verneuil
A Captain's Honor Maître Gillard - un avocat Pierre Schoendoerffer
1983 Rock 'n Torah Joseph, le père d'Isaac Marc-André Grynbaum
Stella Richard Laurent Heynemann
1986 L'unique Vox, le producteur Jérôme Diamant-Berger
Golden Eighties M. Schwartz Chantal Akerman (final film role)

References

  1. ^ Riding, Alan (1995-09-12). "Charles Denner, 69, French Star Of Truffaut and Lelouch Films". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
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